Pulmuone upgrades partnership with BlueNalu to commercialize cell-based seafood

To take a lead in the South Korean cell-based seafood market, Seoul-based food company Pulmuone will strengthen a partnership with BlueNalu, a San Diego, USA-based food company specializing in cultivated seafood such as tuna-like fish meat. The two groups agreed in 2020 to commercialize healthy cell-based seafood products without genetic modifications and free of environmental contaminants.

BlueNalu has developed technology to produce various seafood including bluefin tuna. In July 2020, the US company partnered with Pulmuone to cooperate to bring BlueNalu's products to the South Korean market.

Pulmuone said in a statement that the company will upgrade its partnership with BlueNalu to release cultivated seafood products in South Korea. Research projects will be carried out to figure out cell-based seafood market trends. "Cell-based seafood is an innovative food-tech item that can solve global environmental issues caused by the global seafood supply shortage, fisheries, and aquaculture," said Lee Sang-yun, Head of Pulmuone Institute of Technology. Lee added that his company will solidify its leading position in the food tech industry through the renewed agreement.

The South Korean food maker has been preparing for the alternative market for many years. Pulmuone is also working with a domestic green food-tech company Simple Planet to commercialize cultivated meat products targeting vegans and other consumers who do not eat meat because of ethical reasons. Cultivated meat is lab-grown meat that has the same texture and taste as actual meat.